Support for Mums: 2013

Sunday, December 22, 2013

A special 'thinking of you' over Christmas

Christmas is upon us and many of us are fortunate to be surround by family and friends eating far too much food and experiencing the amazing feeling of giving and receiving.

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I hope that you are able to spend time with family and forget the pressures of everyday life over the holidays.

I hope that everyone with children has a great time over school break and the kids also enjoy some time away from routine and the words ‘PUT YOUR SHOES ON”……

I would also like to give a very special “thinking of you” to all families having a not so good time over this Christmas period. Many families with children in hospital, many families with parents in hospital, many families grieving loved ones and many families missing loved ones.

Please if you get a spare minute please give your thoughts to these families too.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

THANK YOU MOTHER JUMPERS and ABSEILERS

On the 30th November and for a few weeks after that, there where women jumping from the sky and abseiling down VERY large walls raising money and awareness for Support for Mums.

For more awesome pics and video's 'Like' the Face book page Mother Jumpers for Support for Mums

The organiser of this event, Alli Price AKA Motivating Mum had a brainwave in 2012 to help us raise funds to support families at the same time challenge and add excitement to the lives of many people willing to jump from a plane.

I and the staff at Support for Mums are so very thankful to every person who has participated this year in Mother Jumpers 2013.

Collectively you have raised an amazing $ 21, 347.00

This is a huge effort by everyone involved. These funds will have a massive impact on many families in crisis who will be so grateful for your enthusiasm and risk taking.

I really hope you all enjoyed your jump and ab sail and the adrenaline you experienced.
Will we see you back again next year? Maybe you could get family and friends to participate next year. Hubbies, boyfriends, Uncles and Aunties.

A HUGE thank you to Alli for organising another very successful event. The money raised from Motherjumpers has enabled us to exist, grow and support so many families. I will be forever grateful.

THANK YOU

If you would like to make a donation in support of these incredible brave jumpers please visit the link below.

http://www.mycause.com.au/events/motherjumpers

A very special mention to the sponsors of the event.

A major sponsor and a very supportive business to Support for Mums
Vivacity Consulting.

Melbourne Mummu

Gosh Creative

Button Baby

Thank you
Joanne Kosylo

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Support for Mums Annual General Meeting 2013 - From the outgoing Chairperson

Last night saw the inaugural Annual General Meeting of Support for Mums and their families Inc.

Thank you to all who attended and for your ongoing support.

In my role as Chairperson of the Board of Management for Support for Mums over the last twelve months, I have seen some significant developments of and within the organisation. These include:

· The employment of two Client Liaison Officers who deal with the day to day case management, referral and support of families who contact and/or are referred to Support for Mums

· The employment of an Administration Assistant who not only manages the daily administration tasks, but has also taken great strides in the setting up of administration and other procedures, policies and systems

· The employment of a Fundraising Manager and establishment of a Fundraising Sub-Committee to organise and oversee fundraising activities from within Support for Mums and within the broader community, to ensure the financial sustainability of the organisation and so that we may continue to provide the much needed support that we do

· The formation of a Strategic Business Planning sub-committee, which has worked tirelessly on the overall organisational structure and identified key roles that required filling as a matter of urgency, as well as direction for the growth and development of the organisation.

Over the last twelve months, Support for Mums has supported over 100 families experiencing circumstantial crisis, providing telephone and practical support where required.

Although there is still a long way to go, the progress made over the last year is to be admired. The passion and dedication of the team behind Support for Mums have made this possible.

CEO, Joanne Kosylo is to be admired for her determination and the hours of energy and work she puts into Support for Mums. Without her dream, none of this would have happened and I thank her for allowing us to be a part of it.

The Board of Management; Michelle (Secretary), Stacey (Treasurer), Mandy, Linda, and members who, sadly, had to leave for various reasons, Karen, Jodie and Emma, have been an incredible and inspiring team to work with, full of vivacity, ideas and just as much passion to see this dream not only come alive, but to thrive.

I thank them for their support of me, personally, in my role as Chairperson, and also for their dedication to Support for Mums.

Nicole and Eryka, our Client Liaison Officers, have done an amazing job with the support they have provided families. They are what the organisation is about and are in invaluable part of our team.

As is Kirsty, who has done wonders with the administration side of the organisation and whom without we would likely be floundering in a sea of paperwork and emails.

On behalf of the Board of Management, I extend my thanks to those within the community who have supported us over the last year.

Fiona of Business with Vivacity for her talent, knowledge, time and much more in assisting us with the organisational structure and direction for Support for Mums. Her patience and knowledge is a blessing and greatly appreciated.

Alli of Motivating Mum and her Mother Jumpers initiative, Eryka and her events and awareness raising on the Mornington Peninsula, Susan of Go Festival, local MP, Natalie Hutchinson for her ongoing support and the countless others who have organised events, raised funds, donated funds or time, or simply shared their story or told others about Support for Mums.

I think the organisation should be proud of all it has achieved and it is with sadness that I must step down from my position of Chairperson of the Board of Management. I know the role is more than capable hands with the newly appointed Linda Bradfield.

Despite my sadness, I am extremely excited to be able to dedicate my time and energy to my roles as Fundraising Coordinator and heading the Fundraising sub-committee and my position within the Strategic Business Planning sub-committee.

I very much look forward to my continued involvement with Support for Mums and to working with the amazing team behind the organisation.

We also welcome aboard new board member, Katrina, and extend the invitation to others within the community to become a valued member of the team behind Support for Mums.

Expressions of interest for new Board Members are now open. Please email admin@supportformums.org.au to express your interest and for further information.

Again, thank you to all who have supported me over the last twelve months. It is greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Amanda Cox

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

You are invited to Support for Mums and their Families Inc. AGM

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

"I'll pay you not to have to jump"

I had a great opportunity last weekend to speak to hundreds of people about Support for Mums; some had never heard of us, some were ‘in the industry’ and had either heard of us or had referred to us, and we even had the very great privilege of speaking to a few people who had been supported by Support for Mums.

We also used this opportunity to try to talk people into jumping out of a plane to help raise awareness and funds for Support for Mums so we can continue to provide the much needed services and support we offer.

Although a few people were excited about the prospect of Mother Jumpers (and if you are, you can easily register here http://motivatingmum.com/events/current-events/details/56-motherjumpers) a there were way more people who said ...

“I’ll pay you not to have to jump!”

I can understand this. I did enjoy my jump last year ... once it was over. Leading up to it, however, it was scary.

So, we’ve made it easy for those of you who would like to donate to Support for Mums, for those of you who haven’t been able to talk any work colleagues or family members into jumping so you can sponsor them, and for those of you who said “I’ll pay not to jump!”

Now you can do both by donating here http://www.mycause.com.au/page/theresnowayimjumping

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Proud Sponsors of Mother Jumpers

Alli from Motivating Mum has, once again, been doing an amazing job in organising this year’s Mother Jumpers event in support of Support For Mums.

With twenty mums, dads and various hangers on from all over Australia signed up to jump on November 30 and December 1 this year it is shaping up to be another fantastic weekend!

This year, we’ve also gained the support of some amazing women – Mums who have taken that enormous leap to start up their own businesses, which is just about as scary as jumping out of a plane.

Huge thanks go to these businesses for their support for both Mother Jumpers and for Support for Mums, it is greatly appreciated.

Motivating Mum

Button Baby

Melbourne Mumma

Gosh Creative

Business with Vivacity

Last year had 32 mums jump from planes in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide and raised $38,000 for Support for Mums, which has enabled us to provide much needed practical, physical and emotional support for mums and their families who are experiencing an unexpected and debilitating crisis.

This year, it’s awesome to see some dads on board, too, because they really are an important part of the family.

If you’d like to get on board Mother Jumpers please contact Alli at alli@motivatingmum.com

Let’s see how many more we can get on board and beat last year’s efforts.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

GO Festival FREE tickets.

So excited to be going to the GO festival again this year. More excited that Support for mums and their Families will have a stall.

Two days of fun filled entertainment, information and everything for the girls.
Can't wait, Who wants to join us? We have been given 20 FREE tickets. Yes 20.

First 20 to comment on the Facebook page will receive a code to claim your ticket. So exciting.

Last year was a great event and from the list of exhibitors, the stage exhibitors this year is going to absolutely fantastic.

Look forward to meeting you there.

Jo

(ps. defiantly come and introduce yourself)

Monday, August 19, 2013

My Sky diving experience [WARNING - EXPLICIT LANGUAGE}

Support for Mums was only very new service when Alli from www.motivatingmum.com.au Motivating Mum approached me and said "I have an idea, I think we can get lots of mums to jump from planes and raise money for Support for Mums"

"are you crazy" was my response, "do I have to Jump?"

Very soon we had many people signing up and wanting to take that step out of their comfort zone to support families in crisis.

Jumping from a plane had never been on my 'to do list'. On my 'to do list' was to support families who needed it the most. Although to support families I needed to raise money, so I needed to jump.
AHHHHHHHH

I rang my mum, I said 'if you jump I will too" she agreed and signed up the next day. My sister also signed up. I had too.

Really, I was going to jump from a plane?

The anxiety flowed through me daily, the what if's consumed my thoughts. I researched the stats and guess what, no one has ever been severely injured in Australia EVER tandem jumping. Better stats than any activity (including walking across the street)

YES, I was going to jump. with 30 + other women supporting Support for Mums.

That morning of the jump I was SO nervous. I was about to jump from a plane, I was about to take a HUGE step out of my comfort zone and experience something that I had never really longed for.

Trust played a huge part in my experience. When I met my jumping partner who was going to be attached to me on the way down; I looked at him and said 'you have my 100% trust' wow, what a huge statement to make to anyone.

This is me (please turn down the volume if there are children in the room as I do use explicit language as i free fall at approx 220km per hour)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sm6cpIgYcA

If you too want to experience this amazing feeling and at the same time raise much needed funds to help us support families in crisis sign up now. Folow the link below for more information.

Jumping from a plane, while raising money is extremely exhilarating, you will not be disappointed.

http://motivatingmum.com/events/current-events/details/56-motherjumpers

Regards Jo

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Knock Knock Comedy FREE tickets

Laughing has incredible properties and is sometimes known as the 'best medicine' for most situations.

When was the last time you seriously Laughed Out Loud? Laughed so loud that you couldn't stop.

That amazing feeling running through your body is a release on endorphins in your body.

Laughter stimulates the production of the alertness hormones catecholamines. These hormones in turn cause the release of endorphins in the brain. Endorphins foster a sense of relation and well being, many physical benefits to laughter have been reported by doctors and health professionals;

Here are just a few,

-decrease in stress hormone levels,
-strengthening of the immune system,
-muscle relaxation,
-pain reduction,
-lowering of blood pressure,
-cardiovascular conditioning,
-natural anti-depressant.

(information sourced from "text book of psychological medicine")

SO, DO YOU WANT TO LAUGH OUT LOUD?

We have the perfect place with the funniest comedians to make you laugh hysterically.

The hilarious Bev Killick has given us TWO FREE tickets to EACH of these shows (mentioned below.) as she also believes everyone deserves 'time out' and a great laugh.

Please leave a comment indicating which show YOU and friend/partner would like to go to by Thursday 29th August.
If two or more people request the same venue we will use random.org to find a winner.

Knock Knock!

Who’s there?

Knock Knock Comedy

Knock Knock Comedy who?

Knock Knock Comedy – Live At Your Local!

They say laughter is the best medicine, and what better way to shake those winter blues and ring in the spring than a dose of Aussie comedy?

Knock Knock Comedy is the perfect remedy, bringing comedy right to your doorstep – a six-week tour of Melbourne suburban venues launching in early September, featuring the cream of the crop from this country’s thriving comedy scene.

For two weeks of each month over spring, some of our best-loved funny guys and gals, will deliver the laughs from suburb to suburb, on the travelling road show that is Knock Knock Comedy.

Each Knock Knock Comedy show will feature a line-up of some of our finest stand-up comics, including an MC to keep the funny bones tickled in between sets.

September will be headlined by the Queen of Australian comedy, Fiona O’Loughlin, with the irreverent Bev Killick stealing the spotlight for one show only on September 5. Direct from RockWiz to your ‘hood, Brian Nankervis will MC week one, with “Dirty Laundry Live” host, Lawrence Mooney taking the mic for week two.

Garry Who is a stalwart on the comedy scene, having become a household name on much-loved TV shows such as “All Together Now”, “Pizza” and as Cop Garry in “Housos”. He will be the Knock Knock Comedy headliner in October, with everybody’s favourite “Bloke”, ARIA nominated MC Chris Franklin.

Get set for a naughty November, with our very own international comedy superstar, Bruno Lucia, MC’ed by the inimitable Pommy Johnson

In what promises to be an unforgettable night of belly laughs, the Grand Finale of Knock Knock Comedy on Saturday, November 23, will see the hilarious Dave Callan take over as MC.

But wait … there’s more! Look out for special guests Dave Williams, Xavier Michelides, Greg Fleet, The Nelson Twins, Joel Creasey, Elbow Skin, Mike Nevin, and JMAC coming to a Knock Knock Comedy night near you.

Tickets are from $25 and go on sale Friday, July 12 through Ticketmaster or call the the venues direct, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Knock Knock Comedy is an 18+ event.

Participating venues are Hallam Hotel, Skyways Tavern, The Village Green, York On Lilydale, Croxton Park Hotel, Sandbelt, Shoppingtown Hotel, Werribee Plaza Hotel, Westend Market Hotel and Gateway Hotel.

www.knocknockcomedy.com.au

KNOCK KNOCK COMEDY LISTINGS INFO:

SEPTEMBER

Tuesday, September 3

Fiona O’Loughlin + MC Brian Nankervis + Dave Williams + Xavier Michelides

Hallam Hotel, Cnr Princes Hwy and Hallam Rd Hallam

Ph: 03 8786 0200

Start time: 8pm

Entry $25+bf